Vía Continental is a one-page RPG about adventures on a train created for One-Page-RPG Jam 2024 over the course of a month. The game uses blackjack rather than dice as a system for test resolutions to represent urgency, risk-taking, and escalation.
Check the project page, download Vía Continental ruleset, DM, and character sheets right here:
The main challenge with a one-page RPG is always to strike the right balance between tension and complexity.
We really wanted to find a system that would emulate the kind of split-second decisions and desperate risk-taking we see in Mad Max, Snowpiercer, Sorcers, and other stories like those.
But being restricted to a one-page format meant the rules had to be simple, unambiguous, and straightforward.
Also - ready early enough before the deadline to make adjustments and design other systems around it.
To create this kind of tension, I wanted a push-your-luck mechanic. But also something players would instantly be able to grasp. Something that would let players progressively escalate in their attempt, at the risk of pushing it too far and failing spectacularly.
Basing it on blackjack seemed like the perfect fit, as it is a well-known push-your-luck game, resulting in values ranging from 12 to 21. The parallel to the classic D&D D20 system seemed intuitive enough for RPG players. And it also brings this classic criminal hideout vibe we were aiming for.
When designing game systems, I usually have all systems being as connected and intertwined as possible. We knew we wanted only four stats for the characters (for simplicity), linking them to card suits to represent the characters' strengths and weaknesses initially seemed like a good idea.
However - during early tests, this proved to add a lot of complexity. I tried many mechanics iterations based on the intention: discarding cards with weak stats, doubling the value of those with strong stats, players keeping one special card of their strong suit at all times... nothing really worked. It was always either not that fun or way too complex to explain in just a few sentences on a one-page document.
Ultimately, I discarded all those in favor of a simple advantage/disadvantage system: when advantaged (due to their stats, skills, or the situation), players could choose between 2 cards when drawing; when disadvantaged, they would draw the first card faced down (not knowing the value of the outcome until they chose to stop drawning). This was enough to provide a sense of characters strengths and weaknesses having an impact on the outcome of a situation.